


found me just in time

by martianbarnes



Series: Eddie Diaz Week 2021 [4]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, buddie is not the main focus but it's kinda there, read the notes for trigger warnings!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29878785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martianbarnes/pseuds/martianbarnes
Summary: At first, Eddie assumes it's the coffee machine — it seems old enough to be making weird noises every now and then. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees some movement by the counter. The cashier is pale, his eyes wide in fear as they look at the guy in front of him, a black bag gripped tightly in his shaking hand.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Eddie Diaz Week 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189106
Comments: 11
Kudos: 134





	found me just in time

**Author's Note:**

> I've been possessed by the writing gods yesterday so it's way longer than expected. A bit late to the party but here's day 5 of the [**Eddie Diaz Week**](http://eddiediazweek.tumblr.com/). Please excuse all of my mistakes and any inaccuracies this fic most likely includes.
> 
> **Trigger warnings:** guns, blood, injury (not severe), hospitals - please check the end notes for a more detailed description!

Eddie rubs at his eye, tightening the grip he has on the steering wheel. He sighs, relieved — there’s a sign saying that a gas station is only a few miles away. A cup of coffee and a few minutes break is exactly what he needs if he wants them to make it home safely.

It was nice to get away from L.A. and its noise for a bit. In the last two months Christopher asked a few times if they could go camping someday and Eddie figured there’s no hurt in that. Especially when he’s found an old telescope in the attic of abuela’s house. He knew that Chris would be over the moon, considering his new obsession about all things space and wanting to become an astronaut. So they spent a weekend away from the bright lights of the city, with skies clear enough to actually see the stars. Eddie’s knowledge about the Universe is… basic, at best but with some help from an app that lets you locate various planets and constellations, he and Christopher have managed to figure it out. It was really nice.

They are on their way home now, having spent the entire weekend away. Unfortunately, Eddie let himself be persuaded to stay after it got dark because Christopher wanted to see if he really could spot Venus or Mars after sunset. It’s not a surprise, Eddie usually has the hardest time saying no to his son. Although sometimes he should. To avoid falling asleep behind the wheel, for example. Christopher is now curled in the backseat, sound asleep which is even more unfair.

With a relieved sigh, Eddie turns on the turn-signal and pulls up to the gas station. For a moment he considers waking Christopher up but then decides against it. It’ll only be a minute.

Eddie quickly walks inside, making sure his wallet is in his pocket. He grabs a pack of candies that Christopher likes and a juice before he makes his way to the self-service coffee machine in the corner. Except for him and the cashier, there's only one more person in the station. A guy with a hood pulled over his head, who makes his way towards the counter.

Eddie focuses on making his coffee quickly so he can get back to Christopher. He doesn't pay much attention to what is happening around. That is until he hears a weird, clicking sound, loud enough to be heard over the radio playing quietly in the background. At first, Eddie assumes it's the coffee machine — it seems old enough to be making weird noises every now and then. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees some movement by the counter. Furrowing his brows, Eddie turns his head slightly, to take a better look. The cashier — a young man, he can’t be more than twenty — is pale, his eyes wide in fear as they look at the guy in front of him, a black bag gripped tightly in his shaking hand. It's not that hard to guess that he's being robbed.

Eddie curses under his breath. He hesitates for a second, before abandoning his coffee and turning around.

The cashier’s eyes skip to Eddie as he slowly walks closer to the counter. The robber apparently notices it, because he glances over his shoulder. His eyes are red-rimmed, messy beard making it harder to assess his age and his left-hand clenches nervously by his side. But his voice is deep and steady when he speaks.

“Back off, man. There’s nothing to see here.”

When Eddie doesn’t stop, the guy hangs his head for a second. Then, quicker than Eddie expected him to, he turns around. 

There’s a gun pointed right at Eddie’s chest.

Eddie stops in his tracks, slowly raising his hands. Fuck, he could’ve expected that. He takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm and he thanks God that he left Christopher in the car.

“Like I said,” the robber says, “nothing to see here.”

The hand he’s holding the gun with is shaking slightly, but Eddie is sure he wouldn't miss if he pressed the trigger.

“Look, I don’t—,” Eddie says, taking a slow step forward.

“I told you to back off!”

There’s a hint of panic in the robber’s voice as he yells at Eddie, his grip on the gun tightening. Swallowing, Eddie stops. The guy is smaller than him, not significantly but enough for Eddie to take him down if needed. If it wasn’t for the gun, he wouldn’t even hesitate.

“Please, don’t do this,” Eddie tries again. “I can help you; we can figure something out.”

If he can’t convince the guy to put the gun down, maybe he can at least buy some time to figure out a way out of this. He’s too far to grab the guy and try to disarm him. If he could distract him enough to get closer—

“I don’t want your fucking help,” the robber hisses through clenched teeth, making half a step towards Eddie before he stops himself. “Hey!”

They both see it at the same time. The way the cashier pulls out his phone, frantically trying to unlock it. The robber turns, moving his arm to point the gun at the poor kid behind the counter. Eddie doesn’t think when he launches himself forward, grabbing the robber’s wrist and trying to twist his arm. 

The gun goes off.

A blinding pain explodes in Eddie’s right arm and he screams, losing his grip on the robber’s writs. His left hand is still holding tightly and somehow Eddie manages to yank the gun away from the robber. The guy’s face twists in panic as he realises that he’s lost his weapon. For a moment they stare at each other. Eddie breathes through the pain, praying for the guy to back off. He’s not sure he has it in him to fight back if needed. His arm is in flames and he doesn’t want to look down, doesn’t want to take his eyes from the robber.

The moment seems to drag for eternity. But then, the robber takes a slow step back, then another, and before Eddie can react, he turns around and dashes towards the door, almost crashing into it when it doesn’t slide open quickly enough. Then he’s gone.

Eddie lets out a breath, all the adrenaline leaving his body and he sways on his feet. He almost falls over, the shelf he collides with keeping him upright. The gun is still gripped tightly in his hand, so he slowly sinks to the floor and puts it as far as possible without throwing it. He hugs his right arm close to his chest, grunting in pain. When he touches his left hand to it and brings it up to his eyes, it's covered in blood.

A second later, the panicked cashier runs towards him. His mouth is moving quickly and he presses something against Eddie’s arm, making him wince in pain. Eddie can’t quite make out his words. His eyes skip towards the door. 

Christopher. He has to check on Christopher. What if the gunshot woke him up and he tried to get out and see what happened? Feeling panic rising in him again, Eddie tries to scramble to his feet. The whole world sways sideways. Eddie squeezes his eyes shut to stop it from moving and the cashier forces him to stay in place. 

The next time he looks around the station, he can see two strange faces hovering over him. It’s weird because there was nobody else in here. His brain feels like it’s working in slow-motion. So before Eddie can figure out what happened in between, he hears the women on his right ask, “Sir, can you hear me?”

“I’m—,” Eddie furrows his brows at her. “Yes, did I—”

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Eddie.”

“It’s okay, stay calm, Eddie” the guy on the left adds, “you’ve been shot but everything’s gonna be okay.”

“How long was I out?” Eddie manages to ask and tries to prop himself on his good hand but the guy’s grip is strong when he gently pushes him back down. “My son— I need to—”

The faces above him exchange a glance, before the woman asks, “Was your son with you?”

Eddie shakes his head slightly, panic gripping at his throat, “No, he— He was asleep in the car but— I have to—”

“I’m going to check on your son but you have to stay calm. Hen will take care of you and I’ll make sure your son is fine, okay?” the man sends him a reassuring smile and Eddie nods before the guy runs off.

The woman — Hen — asks him a lot of questions, probably to both make sure his head is okay and to distract him. Eddie answers everything as best as he can with the lump in his throat. A moment later another guy runs towards them, smiling down at Eddie as he says, “Your son is okay, don’t worry. Our friend Buck is with him so he’s in good hands. You’ve taught him well, he was a bit worried but he stayed in the car.”

Eddie’s exhale is shaky with relief, all the tension leaving his body. The corners of his eyes prickle with tears, when he mumbles, “He’s a really smart kid.”

“I’ll finish patching you up and you’ll be able to see him,” the woman smiles. A moment later she adds, “You’ve been very lucky, the bullet didn’t do much damage but we still will have to take you to the hospital to make sure everything is okay. You’ll probably need stitches.”

Eddie doesn’t like the sound of that but he nods, figuring out he doesn’t have much choice.

"Also, I feel obliged to inform you that tackling an armed robber is usually a very stupid idea," the man says, receiving an exasperated "Chim!" from the woman in response. Eddie actually chuckles at that.

"I'll keep that in mind," he answers.

Eventually, after what feels like ages of arguments that he can stand on his own and doesn't need the gurney, they let Eddie go check on Christopher. The man insists on escorting him to make sure he won't pass out or anything. The woman goes to check on the cashier — luckily, he's okay, just shaken. Eddie and the paramedic are about to step out of the station, when Eddie stops and looks down at his blood-covered shirt. He doesn't want Christopher to see it. Before he can even look around to find something to cover himself with, the man takes off his jacket and hands it to Eddie. A grateful smile appears on Eddie's face as he accepts it. The man is smaller than him, but it still works.

When he sees his car, he almost starts running towards it. Christopher is sitting sideways on the back seat, his legs sticking out of the car and the blond firefighter from earlier is crouching in front of him, saying something that makes Chris smile. The force of relief almost knocks Eddie out of his feet. They said he was okay and taken care of but it's one thing to hear it and another to see it with his own eyes.

"Christopher!" Eddie yells, freeing himself from the paramedic’s hold when they're close enough to the car. Chris' head snaps up and he calls "Dad!" before scrambling to get out.

As soon as he's within arm's reach, Eddie falls to the ground, his knees hitting the hard concrete as he tugs his son closer, wrapping him in a tight hug and hiding his face in his hair. He takes a deep breath. It takes all of his willpower to stop the tears that threaten to fall. He has to stay strong, show Christopher that he’s okay. Over Chris’ head, Eddie looks up at the other firefighter. He’s watching them with a smile and Eddie tries his best to express his gratitude but his throat feels too tight for him to say anything. But the firefighter nods, smiling even bigger. Maybe he understands.

"Are you okay, dad?" Christopher asks, his arms still wrapped around Eddie's neck. "Buck said you've been brave and helped someone but you got hurt."

"I'm fine, buddy," Eddie says, leaning back a bit and looking his son in the eyes, smiling at him to show that he's telling the truth. "I got hurt but they took care of me, it's all good. Thank you for staying in the car."

"The sirens woke me up but you told me to never wander off on my own," Christopher says.

"I did and I'm so happy you listened. I love you so much, kid."

"I love you too, dad."

A moment later, one of the paramedics — the woman, Hen if he remembers correctly — walks over to them with a police officer.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Hen says, “but sergeant Grant wants to take your statement if you feel up to it. I also insist that we should get you to the hospital soon, Eddie.”

“We can talk there, if you prefer,” sergeant Grant adds, a reassuring smile softening her serious demeanour.

“You have to go to the hospital?” Christopher asks, worried.

Eddie quickly kisses his head to calm him down, “I’m not going anywhere without you, don’t worry. I just need to talk to sergeant Grant for a minute. Can you stay here for a bit longer?”

There’s a sad and worried frown on his son’s face but he nods, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s legs as he stands up. As Eddie looks up, his eyes stop on firefighter Buck, who is still hovering nearby.

“I can stay with him, if you want,” he says to Eddie and then he looks at Christopher with a smile, “I’d really like to hear about that shooting star you’ve seen, Christopher.”

Chris’ lips curl up into a small smile as he nods at Buck. A bit surprised, Eddie looks between the two of them, wondering how they managed to bond so quickly. Noticing his look on him, Buck smiles a bit sheepishly and says, “I love kids.”

Eddie’s eyebrows go up, even more confused now. Next to him, sergeant Grant sighs and says, “It’s not the best time for that, Buckaroo, don’t be weird.”

Feeling like he’s missed a part of the conversation, Eddie turns back to Christopher and asks, “You’re okay to stay with firefighter Buck for a bit longer?” and when he gets a nod in response, he turns to the other man. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

He and the police officer walk towards the back of the fire truck, when Eddie’s told to sit down. He tries his best to answer all of sergeant Grant’s questions. She’s very thorough, but she assures him that it’s okay if he doesn’t remember everything. They have footage from the security camera so there’s a good chance they’re going to find the robber. After a few minutes, she squeezes his good shoulder, thanking him for his help.

“Do you have anyone to call, who could pick up your son?” she asks, walking him back towards the car. “You’ll be taken to the hospital and I could have someone stay with him until someone picks him up.”

Eddie considers it for a moment and then shakes his head. Tiá Pepa is in Texas and abuela doesn’t have a car, besides he doesn’t want to worry her. He sounds a bit panicked when he asks, “Can’t he just go with me?”

“He can, I was just making sure,” sergeant Grant says before she thanks him again and walks away.

Before they can usher him and Christopher to the ambulance, Buck lets him take Chris’ crutches and a hoodie from the car. The paramedic that lent Eddie his jacket is waiting in the ambulance and he smiles when Eddie hands it back. Then, he makes Eddie lay down on the gurney.

“We’ve let you loose for long enough, let's make sure you’re not going to pass out,” the man says, checking Eddie’s vitals and the dressing on the wound. “It would be embarrassing for the both of us.”

Christopher and Buck make it to the ambulance with them and finally they leave that cursed gas station. This is definitely not how Eddie imagined the end of the weekend and he’s trying really hard not to think about the fact that he could die. That Christopher could get hurt. He is incredibly thankful for firefighter Buck who is distracting Christopher the entire ride to the hospital with stories and answers to whatever questions Chris has about the fire trucks. Eddie must admit that he finds the endless stream of words distracting, too. It helps him to stop pondering over what could happen before he can give himself a panic attack. 

Soon enough, they’re at the hospital. Eddie doesn’t even have much time to thank any of the firefighters, before a nurse leads him and Christopher to an examination room. He sits on the exam table as instructed and waits for a doctor to come check on him. When a moment later there’s a knock on the door, Eddie looks up. It’s a surprise when he sees firefighter Buck standing there.

“Is everything okay?” Eddie asks, furrowing his brows slightly. 

“Yes, sorry. I just wanted to— Check on you guys, ask if there’s anything I can help with?”

“You’ve already helped so much, I don’t—,” Eddie starts but doesn’t know how to finish the thought. The offer catches him off guard.

Buck hesitates for a moment before he explains, “I just... I’ve heard that you told Athena— I mean sergeant Grant — that there’s nobody to pick you up. I mean, if you need help getting home after they release you or if you need me to get someone to take care of Christopher, just let me know. I don’t want to impose, so tell me to go away if I’m too much, but I’m here to help, if you need me.”

For a moment Eddie just stares at the man who stands by the door with a nervous expression on his face, waiting for Eddie’s reaction. And Eddie is surprised. It’s not like he doesn’t have any people he can’t count on in his life. But usually, it’s just him and Christopher. So it is surprising that a complete stranger cares about them enough to stay and make sure they’re okay. It warms Eddie’s heart, all this kindness he’s been given today. He’s pretty sure all of this doesn’t exactly fit into the firefighters’ job description.

“I’m—,” Eddie tries to say, but he feels at loss for words. “I really appreciate it but I don’t want to bother you and—”

“My shift is already over. If you need me to, I can stay. It’s really no problem, I'd be happy to help.”

Eddie hesitates and eventually, he nods. He’s tired, he was before and now everything that happened catches up to him. He knows it would be hard to go through all this, worrying about Christopher as he goes through all the check-ups, figuring out a way to get home. He doesn't have it in him to argue. The firefighter's help is a godsent. And the way the man smiles at Eddie’s agreement makes it looks like there’s nothing he’d be doing rather than helping a random guy who was being an idiot and got himself shot.

Before he can say anything, the doctor walks in, making her way towards Eddie.

“Hi, I’m doctor Walker. I’m gonna take a look at your wound and then we’ll do some additional check-ups. With gunshots it's important to make sure that no bones or muscles or other tissue is damaged," she explains.

Eddie nods and as doctor Walker reaches for his arm, he glances over at Christopher. His son is watching him from the chair in the corner, looking a bit pale. Eddie looks up and his eyes meet Buck’s. Before he can say anything, the firefighter says, “Hey, Christopher? I was meaning to go look for something to drink, do you want to help me?”

Christopher looks up at Eddie, making sure it’s okay to go with Buck. Eddie smiles at him. “It’s fine, buddy. You can wait for me with Buck and I’ll join you as soon as I can, okay?” Chris nods and the two of them make their way out of the examination room. Before Buck can close the door behind them, Eddie sends him a grateful smile and says, "Thank you, Buck. I really am."

When they’re gone, doctor Walker who tactfully waited for Christopher to leave the room, makes a quick work of examining his wound. It’s pretty deep but the bullet didn’t pierce his arm but rather grazed his bicep. Luckily, just as the paramedics said earlier, nothing major was damaged. He’s sent to have an ultrasound anyway, just to be safe. It only confirms doctor Walker’s assessment and the wound is stitched back up. Eddie is given some painkillers and is instructed how to take care of his arm as it heals and when to come to have the stitches removed.

He’s not sure how much time he’s spent in the exam room. It was probably less than expected but he still feels exhausted as he enters the waiting area, looking around for Christopher. He sees him sprawled across the seats, a turnout jacket covering him like a blanket. Buck is sitting right next to him and he shifts in his seat when he sees Eddie.

“Everything okay?” he asks and Eddie nods in response.

“All stitched up, I’ll be fine,” Eddie says. “Your friends did a good job. And you. I can’t thank you enough for all your help and for looking out for Christopher. Knowing that he’s okay, not alone or scared, it really meant everything to me. I keep thinking, if anything happened to him back there, I wouldn't—”

Eddie stops abruptly, biting the inside of his cheek to try and control his face and the emotions that threaten to flood him.

“Hey,” Buck says, getting up from his chair, mindful not to jostle Christopher. “Nothing happened. He’s okay. You both are. That’s all that matters.”

Taking a deep breath, Eddie nods. Buck’s right. There’s no point in thinking about what could go wrong. Christopher is still here, a bit stressed out but safe. Alive. And so is Eddie. 

“I asked a friend of mine to get my car over here,” Buck says. “I can drive you guys home.”

Hearing that, another wave of emotions hits Eddie and he almost starts crying, for a different reason this time. “Buck, I— I can’t believe you went through all this trouble for us. It’s— I’d manage on my own, somehow. You didn't have to--”

“I know,” Buck says, even though how can he? He doesn't know a thing about them and yet here he is, offering his help like it's the most obvious thing to do. “And I don’t know, I— I figured you could use some help after the day you’ve had. Unless stopping armed robberies is what your usual Sunday looks like.”

Buck's voice is teasing but he still watches Eddie with a slightly worried expression. Eddie shakes his head and lets out a chuckle that sounds only a bit teary. “It’s really not,” he says.

“That’s what I thought,” Buck laughs. His smile is warm as he says, “Let’s get you two home, then.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **Trigger warnings:** An armed robber attempts to rob a gas station that Eddie's at. Eddie gets shot in the arm while trying to disarm the robber. It's not severe but he's transported to the ER.
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://buddietruecrimepodcast.tumblr.com/)


End file.
